Hahira...ride story (long)

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

Just back from Hahira, the finest example of a well managed ride that
there is.  This ride is worth the drive.  These people have their
priorities straight, you can tell from the moment you drive onto this
gorgeous huge farm with field after field of perfect board fences, a big
barn...and then a farm house with stalls built on back. :-)) Everywhere
you look you see Linahan children dragging around these great kid broke
ponies.  Looks like where we all wished we'd grown up.

Where to start?  4 big fields full of trailers...there's actually water
spigots all along the fence line...etc. etc.

The trails were flat, hard packed sand (before 166 horses went over them,
53 of them twice).  The trails zig and zag through the woods that are
draped with Spanish moss, and you ride around fields of cotton.  The true
deep south.  This is a cantering trail if there ever was one, and Pam
marks it like one.  It was near impossible to get lost.  Not only did she
mark the turns, she stretched tape across every wrong option.  Her
husband is on my GOOD list...big water tanks every four miles.  The vets
were superior.  Duane Barnette, and Ann Stuart, plus two others I don't
know.  

After several of you advised it, I broke down and clipped Kaboot just a
little... until God told me that was enough by shutting off the clippers.
(overheated?  never had before:-)

On the way there I drove my niece's new aluminum 3 horse slant.  Isn't it
true that it's good to customize a trailer so it's easier to identify if
stolen?  Do you think my brother will consider it an asset that I cut
sharp and hit that concrete thing that protects gas pumps? :-((  Give me
a break, I've never hauled a gooseneck and was agitated that I'd pulled
the diesel truck up to a gas pump.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Fortunately I was so mad that I was able to pull the fender away from the
tire with my bare hands.

Got to the ride and people that I had no idea ever lurked on Ridecamp
started asking me what I was going to do to my stalker...Howard.  These
discussions continued on the trail...at the vet checks...everywhere.  I
had no idea so many people were concerned.  I'm afraid Howard...that
everybody wants to get their hands on a practical joker...I heard all
sorts of conspiracy plots but chose to distance myself from their
execution...or Howards.>g<

At the pre-ride meeting Chili dinner, as I sat talking to Susan Kasemayer
I felt a tug on my ponytail...and a voice next to my right ear whispered,
"I'm going to tie you up tonight".  I didn't look back, I simply raise my
left elbow and swung back...HARD.  Oh well, Howard's shorter than I
thought, I hit him in the stomach.  I did resist the urge to do the
follow-up back hand fist that's supposed to catch them as they double
over. >g< Sorry Howard, I told you NOT to touch.  I must say that other
than looking over his shoulder constantly, he was a perfectly normal
fellow the rest of the weekend...other than the fact that he chose to
start with a junior at the front of a pack of 113 LD'ers on a flat fast
course....that was definitely a sign of insanity. >g<

The 50 had a rough start.  About 100 yards out of camp (I was starting
towards the back) we heard them yell "rider down".  I saw a rider on the
ground NOT moving.  I think it was Megan Davis??  She'd been thrown.  I
went back to yell for them to send help fast, then came back and saw her
getting up so I went back to tell them the help had time to walk AROUND
the huge mud puddle instead of dashing through it. When I got back
everyone was gone except my niece Ashley, so we took off after the pack. 
This is a definite cantering trail.  Just so perfect the horses can't
stand it.  I knew I passed quite a few horses, but it didn't seem like
that many.  Got to the first vet check and they said I was 4th. 

Left out with another rider and never saw another rider besides her the
rest of the day (33 miles).  Problem was, her horse was happy 20 to 100
yards behind me, so she was happy.  Kaboot really thought it would be
nice to have company, so he'd try to wait for it.  I'm incredibly sore
from squeezing him (usually sore in the shoulders from holding him). 
That was a really exhausting 33 miles.  At water I'd usually wait and
we'd leave together, but they'd immediately resume their positions of
Kaboot and me anywhere from 20 to 100 yards ahead. UG!!!  Nothing much
exciting to tell.  We  raced in and Kaboot won.

I think the evening entertainment was pretty original for a ride.  They
took up a plane and had 5 different parachute jumps.  Picture 166 horses
in flimsy corrals and a guy spiraling down to land in the vet check. 
Kaboot had me really wishing the photographer was there. His portrait
would have made the cover of Arabian Times.  Both eyes were out on stems,
the tail was up and he made himself very TALL.  He was literally frozen.

The dinner and the awards program was way more than I could describe
here.  Picture 200 + people sitting in the side shed of a huge hay barn. 
The big BBQ cookers had been going all day and we'd been drooling at the
vet checks in anticipation.  The food was GREAT and they gave you a lot. 
Gotta admit I cleaned my plate.

After giving out the regular top 10 (for 50's) and top 15 (LD) plus the
other usual stuff, they have a friend who brings out a big box full of
goodies...sweat scrapers, hoof picks, sponges, brushes, and all sorts of
gag awards.  He does a great job getting people to relate stories in
exchange for gifts...for example:

"Who couldn't find the restroom last night?"  Becky Siler admitted that
she'd tried to use the well house and won herself a flashlight.

He had the last place rider in the 50 come to the front of the room,
turned him around so he couldn't see anybody and said motioned for us to
all stand up.  When we did, he motioned for us to turn around.  Then he
said, "Here's what you've been looking at all day" and turned him around
to see all our backs.  It was pretty darned funny.

One lady admitted that she and a child had gotten themselves locked in
their horse trailer and couldn't get out all night.  Duane Barnett won a
"Ride till you puke" tag in honor of his Old Dominion performance...

Lawton Johnston...I believe 76 years old? after doing a 100 last week,
did a 50 this week!!!!!!  He won some Corn Huskers lotion for his
callouses. (by the way, Lawton just finished cancer treatment).

The Linahans came up with a new perpetual trophy called the "SOE" or
Spirit of Endurance award in memory of Shelby Cook.  They gave a nice
speech about Shelby and what a great guy he was.  Reminded me of the time
I was riding behind Shelby and we were galloping along and I guess my
horse crowded his mare a little.  He said just as serious as could be, "I
don't mind ya doin that now, but the last fellow that done it she kicked
his hat off" I got the message and backed off. Heard later that it was
Joe Edwards that she did it to and yes, she did kick his hat off.

One scary thing I heard of after the ride.  There was a group of children
on ponies riding with an adult doing the 25.  At the 8 miles to go point
the Linahan's 5 year old daughter joined them to ride in.  Unfortunately,
the front runners, Harry Parker and Marilyn Horstmeyer came up on this
little string of ducklings as they were racing in towards the finish and
had no time to check their horses.  Nothing bad came of it, but the idea
was absolutely terrifying.  The two front runners had been neck and neck
all day and were really going for the win.  My daughter wants to do
endurance, but things like this scare me to death.

All in all, this ride rates an A+++++  They hit all the important
points.... Great vets, great marking, water on the trail, good camping,
good food, good company, a great time.  Can't say enough about them. 

1st. Harry Parker, Smoke
2nd Marilyn Horstmeyer
3rd (BC) Adel Denard, Awesome
4th Angie McGhee, Kaboot Herlong
5th Mary Yeager, Snickers
6th ? Susan Kasemayer, Coujor

That's all I can remember...except Ashley Creswell (my niece) and Ben
Amil were 13th.  Gotta brag. She did one 25, then did her first 50 at Big
South Fork.  This ride made 5 50's or 250 miles, for her this fall. 
Kid's got what it takes. :-)

Angie McGhee and Kaboot (done for the year)






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